diff --git a/backend/src/services/solana.ts b/backend/src/services/solana.ts
index 370e0b2..ed5b00f 100644
--- a/backend/src/services/solana.ts
+++ b/backend/src/services/solana.ts
@@ -124,14 +124,15 @@ export async function getOrCreateTokenAccount(
 export async function mintTokens(
 	userWalletAddress: string,
 	amount: number,
-	metadata: {
+	_metadata: {
 		sessionId: string;
 		contentTitle: string;
 		watchDurationMinutes: number;
 	},
 ): Promise<string | null> {
 	if (!mintAuthority) {
-		throw new Error("Mint authority not configured");
+		console.warn("Mint authority not configured, using DB-only credits");
+		return `db-only-${Date.now()}`;
 	}
 
 	try {
@@ -139,7 +140,8 @@ export async function mintTokens(
 		const mint = await getTokenMint();
 
 		if (!mint) {
-			throw new Error("Token mint not found");
+			console.warn("Token mint not available, using DB-only credits");
+			return `db-only-${Date.now()}`;
 		}
 
 		// Get or create user's token account
@@ -166,8 +168,8 @@ export async function mintTokens(
 
 		return signature;
 	} catch (error) {
-		console.error("Failed to mint tokens:", error);
-		return null;
+		console.error("Solana minting failed, using DB-only credits:", error);
+		return `db-only-${Date.now()}`;
 	}
 }